Can Nikola Mirotic Make An Impact For The Chicago Bulls?

It has been a couple of years since the Chicago Bulls acquired Nikola Mirotic on draft night in 2011, but the Real Madrid star has now made his way to the United States and the United Center.

This 6’10”, 220-pound power forward from Yugoslavia has long been touted as a talented basketball player. He developed and came up through the junior ranks in Real Madrid before graduating to the senior side. He was won a plethora of awards in the Euroleague including the Euroleague Rising Star award. Most recently, Mirotic was the Spanish League Most Valuable Player in 2013 and now finds himself as an NBA rookie on a Chicago Bulls team that has a very different look.

Carlos Boozer was amnestied and subsequently made his way to the Los Angeles Lakers via the bidding process, but the Bulls were able to acquire Pau Gasol during the offseason. With a talented power forward in Taj Gibson coming off the bench, the addition of Mirotic has raised plenty of questions.

Mirotic – while listed as a power forward, is not your average back-to-the-basket, low-post banger that usually occupies the four-spot in the NBA. Mirotic is one of the new-age “stretch-fours” who have a well-developed jump shot and terrific shooting range. In the modern NBA, the long ball is a weapon and teams are trying to find as many avenues to space the floor and hit the outside shot as possible. The Bulls have found one — albeit it a slightly unique one.

Last season for Real Madrid, Mirotic put up 15.9 points per game while shooting over 50 percent from the floor and 46 percent from beyond the three-point arc. So while he has the height of an inside player, he has the stroke of a shooting guard.

The Chicago Bulls already have Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson who excel down low. With Derrick Rose returning to the lineup, they have someone who can get to the rim, finish in the paint and score. Now, with players like Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, they have the floor spacers and outside shooters to balance out the lineup. In the Eastern Conference, they have to be one of the favorites to take the crown and book themselves a trip to the NBA Finals – if they can get past the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers.

But what can the Bulls realistically expect from an NBA rookie?

Don’t be blinded by the comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki. While there are definitely similarities in their game, shot and body type, Dirk is far more advanced than Mirotic is. Also, while Nikola has played a lot of professional basketball, he hasn’t played NBA basketball, and you only have to look at the FIBA World Cup competition to see just how vastly different the game styles are. While the skills are there and he may in time become a very valuable piece of the Chicago Bulls puzzle, don’t expect the same output in his first NBA season that he produced in his last Euroleague season.

The good news though, is that the Bulls won’t need him too. The Chicago team is deep and talented and will be happy with some good solid rookie minutes, solid shot selection and to space the floor and allow players like Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler to operate. By having an outside threat, opposition defenses are going to have to respect the three pointer and guard accordingly. This opens lanes for Rose to do his thing and for the “power” frontline to bash and crash. Should defenders clog the lane to limit Rose, Mirotic will be given open looks — and he can certainly knock those down.

Bulls fans should be excited about the upcoming season. They finally appear to have a healthy Rose, they acquired a real talent in Pau Gasol and they have a solid rookie crop. Mirotic will make an impact — but he will do so by playing within himself and the team structure — for this year at least.